Weaving tartan for a kilt

[@1BigDoodle]

Good luck weaving your vibrant cloth! I have an older 45” LeClerc loom, and yes, they are quite sturdy. We restored it, and added a new friction brake & aprons. Happy Weaving!🧶

[@johnorr8094]

This is the first weaving video, I've seen, discussing weaving a tartan for making a new kilt.

[@johnorr8094]

This video inspired me to start designing tartans again. I might also pick up learning to weave fabric in my original tartans.

[@AmazingJane137]

It’s beautiful!

[@YetiWeaves]

Thankyou - it was a lot of fun to do.

[@curtismengsk]

So if you wanted to ensure a more balanced weave, what would be your strategy next time? Maybe lowing the EPI to match what you can beat? Or maybe a weighted beater / different loom? Have you done them on your colonial?

[@YetiWeaves]

Awesome question. I did another video with exactly that experiment on my colonial - setting the warp at 36 epi, 34 epi and 32 epi. 32 ends per inch gave me a thicker cloth (more intersections per square inch) and a balanced weave. Check it out - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXardaOVmdeUZ7csi=xAZF1UbCQwXELoQW

[@curtismengsk]

@@YetiWeaves Interesting, so even on the colonial, it wasn't possible to get 36 PPI? I would have figured with the larger and heavier loom it'd be possible. Do you have a weighted beater? Do you think that'd help?

[@YetiWeaves]

Yes, even with the weighted beater on a 60” Colonial, I couldn’t get 36x36. I have visited the Locharron Mill in Scotland and watched their machines work at 36x36, so I know it can be done, but I don’t know for sure that their yarn is the same as the tartan yarn at CamillaValleyFarm. It could be that Locharron’s is ever so slightly finer? Not sure. Or a difference in their automated setup? The resulting cloth I got at 32x32 looks and feels kilt-weight compared to my kilts made by them.

[@curtismengsk]

@@YetiWeaves Interesting. Well in any case, 32x32 is pretty darn good. I'd care most about being balanced and the 32x32 in your other video looked great.